Tag Archives: spoken word

Mosaic Heart

I.

When my heart fractured, it wasn’t beautiful. It was just broken. The edges cut deep into muscle and soul. I was more exhaustion than man, brittle and shaking. But if there’s one lesson my childhood taught me, it’s “don’t leave a mess.” So I picked up the shards, letting the tears bleed.

II.

Can you glue a heart back together with whispers of hope and the memory of dreaming? Or will it always be broken, even if you can find its shape again? I didn’t know. I fumbled the pieces into shape, and I hoped.

III.

It became a meditation, fitting one piece with the next, bridging colors and atriums, reconnecting arteries and emotion. Sometimes I lost the thread of hope and had to start again. Sometimes the tears washed a piece free. I may have fractured, but I did not crumble, and slowly, I became art.

IV.

Maybe I was always a masterpiece and you just taught me to forget. My heart casts a thousand reflections, every one of them beautiful, as I learn to love again.

V.

I start with myself.

When Beautiful Things Come Together With Time

Eli is coal. Built from a million memories and past experiences,
he is what happens when beautiful things come together with time.
Charcoal meets paper. The past and the present collide
and art is formed from their touch.

When you are lost in the darkness, call for him. His light will guide you home,
forming brilliance from broken moments and hope from scars.
Why coal was named darkness when it forms such gorgeous light
is something I will never understand.

Still he burns, moment to moment, creating art from shadows and blood.
His heart is fierce in its love to those lucky enough to receive it, and I
bow down to the resilience in its touch.

Maybe beauty and time
can be enough.

Spoken Word Albums and Other Updates!

I apologize for my long silence, but a job was swallowing my life for a while. However, there are some exciting new updates!

  • I recently released a spoken word poetry album on Bandcamp. You can find it here: War Songs for Peace Keepers
  • I am a quarter of the way through recording another spoken word album, this one entitled Graveside Goodbyes. It should be released this month.
  • I plan to release a short album (EP) every month until at least July. They’re all written and waiting for recording and mixing.
  • I am doing a major site overhaul to make sections of the site more convenient to access. So far the Home Page and Spoken Word Poetry sections have undergone their first round of edits, so check them out and let me know what you think!
  • I’ve started singing my original poems and songs at open mics around the valley as an add-on to my poetry, so if you see an open mic listed on the calendar, you might be in for a new treat!
  • There are three more books planned for release in the upcoming months. Two are poetry and one is something entirely different. Keep your eyes on this blog for more details and some previews!

Speaking of previews, here’s a preview of the album cover for Graveside Goodbyes:

Graveside Goodbyes

James Avery Fuchs signing out!

(P.S.: I finally got my legal name change!)

“Love Songs for Friends” Published

On August 24, I published my third book of poetry. A two-month project, the poems in this collection are all about people significant to me. Some are friends, some are family, and some have passed away, but all of them have changed my life in positive ways.

From the brother by love but not by blood in “The Art of the Controlled Flame” to the musician who transformed my life in “Darkness Heralds Light”, the poems included in this collection are heartfelt tales of hope and belonging in a world where both can be hard to find.

You can find a copy here: Love Songs for Friends

All of my books can be found at: Lulu Shop

If you’d like to hear me perform an audio version of a poem from the book, click here: The Art of the Controlled Blaze

There will be a book release event at Pho Cao in Scottsdale, AZ on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 with a variety of bands, acoustic acts, and me performing poetry. Admission will be $5, or $10 to receive a copy of the new book as well. So far, Dissonance, Cassidy Alisa, and Darkness Dear Boy are confirmed as performers, and I’m waiting to hear back from Japhy’s Descent.

Hope to see you there!

I Want a Daughter (Poem)

final rainbow

From Stardust


I want a daughter
with eyes like lightning and fire in her stride.
She will always be loved,
but I want her to love herself with the same fierceness.

I want her to know
that today’s impossibilities are just tomorrow’s difficulties;
that her passions are worthy of her time;
that failure is the first step to success,
and that she can make a difference
even when she thinks that she can’t.

I want her to realize
that her fists can be used to protect her;
that there are better people than ones who hurt her,
and that it’s okay to say goodbye.

I want her to smile only when she wants to;
to be angry when she feels it.
I want her to know strength isn’t violence
and love isn’t pain.

That adults aren’t always right,
and while we only have today,
she deserves the best tomorrow.

I want her to fall in love with stories,
and feel life fully. Though I’m not perfect,
I want her to know I’ve got her back.

I want a daughter
because the world needs more women like that.